Freedom Has a Price
by jumpingandfalling
Summary: Percy and Annabeth were never supposed to meet. He was a merman, and she was a human, it was forbidden. But when they fall in love things aren't what they seem, especially when they're kidnapped by the Captain of Backbiter, Luke. Not only does he want Queen Athena's land, but also Poseidon's sea. Will the two stop him before it's too late? AU.
1. Chapter 1

Freedom Has a Price

Summary: _Percy and Annabeth were never supposed to meet. He was a merman, and she was a human, it was forbidden. But when they fall in love things aren't what they seem, especially when they're kidnapped by the Captain of Backbiter, Luke. Not only does he want Queen Athena's land, but also Poseidon's sea. Will the two stop him before it's too late? (AU)_

"You know, Percy," Annabeth started to say, "I heard your dad was unhappy yesterday."

Percy shrugged, not particularly listening. They were at the beach, were the two teens always like to meet in secret. None of their families knew about their too kids falling in love, it was forbidden.

Percy flicked his tail in annoyance. The green scales seemed to gleam in the sunset, reflecting off one another. Percy lay back in the warm sand; it wasn't often that he actually got to be on land, his dad, Poseidon, was very strict about humans. He thought all of them were barbaric and salvage.

"Are you even listening to me?" Annabeth said, kicking him in the side with one of her legs. Her beautiful grey eyes were narrowed and her blonde hair was flowing gracefully to the left side. Percy didn't remember when they met; the only thing he did remember was they were never supposed to contact each other. Humans and mer-people don't exactly get along.

"I'm listening," Percy grumbled, shifting into a sitting position once again. "I'm just not interested."

"You mer-people are so easily distracted," Annabeth commented, before she repeated what she was hinting at earlier. "What was Poseidon mad about?"

"I might've set off fireworks in Triton's room." Percy muttered under his breath. "It's not like he noticed anyway, his room way already messy."

"Do fireworks work underwater?" Annabeth mused to herself. She ran her hand through her hair the way she always does when she's thinking. Her hand dropped and an expression of remembrance came across her face. "Oh! And I meant to tell you to watch out for ships. There's a rumor going around about a certain Pirate ship called Backbiter that's been rumored to be searching for mer-people."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Humans don't know about mer-people." He noticed Annabeth's face and quickly added, "Besides you of course."

"But still," Annabeth muttered. Her eyes turning a light grey, like the sea right before a storm. "Just be careful. I don't want you caught in a net."

Percy snorted, almost as if he was agreeing with her, but found it funny at the same time. "Me? In a net? Are you kidding?"

When Annabeth gave him a pointed look, he deflated and rolled his eyes. "That was _one_time. And it was an accident!"

"And accident that almost got you discovered." Annabeth sighed, and leaned her head onto his shoulder. "If I wasn't there to save your butt . . ."

"Scales," Percy corrected with a sarcastic smile. "I don't have a butt like humans do."

Annabeth sat up, much to Percy's displeasure, and said, "Too much information. Change the subject."

"Can you tell me more about that pirate ship?" Percy asked. A person that didn't know Percy would miss the little bit of nervousness in his voice, but Annabeth caught it, just like all his other slip-ups.

"Nervous are we?" Annabeth teased half-heartily, and before Percy could protest she continued, "I've already said the ship's name is Backbiter, it's supposed to have a giant Black and Bronze hull, and it's incredibly durable. I don't know if this is true, but the Captain is Luke—" Her voice cracked at the reminder of her old friend, before he almost tried to kill her and her mother in order to get the thrown. "And I heard that they've been looking for mer-people. To prove their existence and maybe get back in control of the palace."

"You seem to know Luke." Percy commented, staring ahead into the ocean. Annabeth could see the troubling ocean in his eyes, almost as if he were concerned about something other than just the ship.

Annabeth took a deep breath. She hadn't told this story in almost five years, the five years Luke had been exiled. "Luke, he was one of my best friends before he betrayed us to the pirates. A war started, we won, but only by a little bit. Luke was exiled from the palace and we haven't seen him again."

"Until now," Percy said softly. He closed his eyes, imagining a war between humans. Humans weren't like mer-people. Mer-people never fought one another, they never betrayed each other, and they only looked out for each other.

"Until now." Annabeth agreed. "He's stubborn, persistent and he has a good sense of direction and belief. I just—I'm so confused right now."

Percy snorted. "You're confused? Look at me! I've got a flipping tail!" He waved his sea-green tail in front of Annabeth's face. She laughed and knocked it away, making Percy smile.

For a while, they sat in silence, just enjoying each other's company until Percy heard the distant barking of the palace dogs. Percy sat up immediately, alarmed, before shaking Annabeth awake. He shot her a panicked look, before flopping towards the water.

The last think Annabeth saw was his green tail slip under the blue ocean.


	2. Chapter 2

**Freedom Has a Price**

**A/N: Although I just posted the first chapter a few hours ago, and got only three reviews, I just wanted to post this because a reviewer said she wouldn't read the story till I got to where the previous author left off, so I wanted to get there quickly. Anyways, enjoy and I don't own PJO. **

Annabeth walked back to the palace with Chiron and Max, her large dog, at her side. Chiron was her tutor, and it almost seemed like he was her _real_father. Annabeth's father left years ago; and no one knew where he went. The only thing he left was Max; the large Shetland sheep dog who first tracked down Percy when they met.

Max was forever loyal to his family, and not to mention one of the smartest dogs alive. He could sniff out anything, and protect anyone. The only time Annabeth left Max at her house was when she went to see Percy.

"What were you doing on the beach?" Chiron asked, finally breaking the silence. He glanced at the princess out of the corner of his eye, only to see her troubled eyes.

Annabeth shrugged, not really answering his question. She was only staring straight ahead, towards the Palace that loomed in the distance. She knew Chiron would pester her until she gave in, but she couldn't tell them about Percy, if the humans found out, then they would send hunting parties and place mutable bounties on his head. Annabeth couldn't let anyone hurt him, not humans or pirates.

"You seem distant today," Chiron continued. "Is something wrong?"

Annabeth shook her head, not really paying attention to what Chiron was saying. She looked ahead, just as the crossed the giant entrance to the palace. The palace guard waved to both of them, but only Chiron waved back.

Annabeth didn't remember much of the journey through the city around the palace, just a few merchants saying hello and the kids running through the streets. Chiron seemed to be walking at a relatively fast pace, considering nothing important was going on, or was it?

"What's the hurry, Chiron?" Annabeth asked, concern lacing her words.

"Your mother," Chiron said, not slowing down. "She said she wanted to see you, that's why I went to go get you."

"Oh." Annabeth suddenly felt smaller than she really was. It wasn't often that her mom wants to talk to her, most of the time it's something about 'being the next queen' or battle strategies. Her mom wasn't very motherly.

Panic welled up in her throat as possibilities went through her head. Was there another war coming? Did they site Backbiter? The last thought almost made Annabeth shiver; did they know about Percy?

Chiron seemed to notice her troubled expression and said; "I don't think it's anything bad. She didn't seem to be in a sour mood."

Annabeth nodded numbly, as she walked up to her mother's door. She paused for a second to take a big breath and compose herself. She then knocked on the large wooden doors that separated her mother from the rest of the world.

"Come in," The voice of her mother seemed to ring throughout the corridor. Annabeth nodded, even though her mom couldn't see her, and pushed the doors open.

The room was dark; the moon had risen above the sky since Annabeth was at the beach. All of the lights were off, and Annabeth could barely make out her mom, sitting on her bed, staring intensely at her daughter.

The closer Annabeth walked towards her mother, the more she noticed the bags under the Queen's eyes. She still had the same brown hair, and the same intense eyes as Annabeth, but it seemed to have lost its sparkle.

People say that Annabeth and her mother looked very similar, but Annabeth never saw it. She had blonde hair compared to her mother's brown, her eyes were always lighter than her mother's more intimidating ones, and her mother's posture was more regal.

"Hello, Annabeth." Her mother sighed and patted the bed next to her. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this."

"W-what happened to you?" Annabeth said before she could stop herself. As quickly as she could, she covered her mouth, hoping her mother wouldn't get mad.

To Annabeth's relief, Athena only let out a low laugh. "The pirates aren't just affecting me, but other countries as well. They're blaming us for the pirates, and we're about to go to war." Annabeth sucked in a breath as her mother continued, "Our people aren't ready to go to war. We are just recovering from Luke's ambush five years ago, and that wasn't even a full-blown war. Imagine what would happen if all the countries around us attacked us at the same time."

"We wouldn't make it." Annabeth said solemnly. _At least,_Annabeth thought to herself, _not without the mer-people._

Athena nodded. "You're growing into a fine Princess, Annabeth. You will do good ruling this kingdom one day."

"If there is a kingdom still." Annabeth muttered, staring out into the night sky.


	3. Chapter 3

Freedom Has a Price

As soon as Percy had disappeared underwater, his friend, Grover, welcomed him. Grover was a relatively large fish with a yellow body and blue stripes that came down his back. For a fish his size, he was pretty much scared of everything, and didn't like the adventures that Percy went on.

"Did anyone see you?" Grover fretted. He started swimming in circles around Percy. "What if someone saw you?!" he cried.

"Relax, Grover," Percy tried to soothe the panicked fish. "No one saw me but Annabeth." Grover was the only fish to know about Percy meeting a human. If any of the other mermen found out, he would be disowned and his brother Triton would take over being the heir of Poseidon's throne.

"You are the most stupid fish in the whole sea!" Grover practically shouted. "Falling in love with a human!" Percy's eyes widened and he put a hand over his friend's mouth, trying to get the fish to shut up.

"Grover!" Percy hissed. "Do you _want _someone to hear you?"

"Sorry," Grover muttered, looking down at the ocean floor. They swam in silence for the next few minutes until Percy felt a shadow of a boat come across the ocean. Looking up, Percy could make out the black outline of the hull, and he could hear the shouting of the men on deck.

"Grover!" Percy exclaimed. "It's a boat!" Percy had always like watching the people work on their legs; he thought it was fascinating how fast they could run, and how they can kick a ball using only one foot.

"Percy, please." Grover tried to reason with the merman, but Percy had already taken off towards the surface. His green tail was staring to reflect in the sunlight, making it almost impossible to see where Percy had gone.

Percy had to slow down when he started to come towards the surface; he didn't want any of the people noticing him, especially if it's a pirate ship. He silently broke the surface of the water, swimming towards the side of the ship.

The first thing Percy noticed about it was the giant black and white flag with a skull and cross bones. A pirate ship, Percy mentally cursed himself for sneaking around a pirate ship, but his curiosity always got the better of him. The ship was huge and black with bronze lining. Something about this ship seemed familiar, but Percy couldn't place it.

Now, Percy's head was fully above the water, watching the men work from the shadows. They seemed to be carrying large crates that would make animal noises every once in a while. At one point Percy saw a large fish tank being rolled around the deck, luckily nothing was in it, but still, when he looked at it, chills were sent down his spine.

The last thing Percy noticed was the extremely large net that seemed to be sending sparks off of it. The net could cover almost half the ship at most, maybe a little less. Percy wrinkled his nose; he hated fishermen, especially pirate fishermen.

Something one the back of Percy's neck prickled and he turned his head only to meet the eyes of a human. Percy gasped and back up a little, going deeper into the water. Every instinct in his body was screaming, _Run!_

The man seemed a bit older than Percy, maybe by four or five years. He had tanned skin from being out on the ship all day and bright blue eyes. The most interesting thing that Percy noticed was the scar that ran down his cheep. The man's smile wasn't exactly a smile, more like a cruel sneer.

Percy had never felt this way in front of a human, usually they didn't notice them, but the ones that did thought it was always a blessing from Poseidon. They would never hurt a merman. This man was different; he looked at Percy as if he were a toy, nothing more, maybe even a money maker. Percy resisted the urge to shudder.

The man seemed to notice his discomfort with a smirk and called out, "Do you like my collection? They're all very rare animals."

Percy glanced at the wooden crates, and that one empty bowl. Now that he knew they carried animals, it made him even more desperate to go away, but he was frozen. Frozen by his own anxiety.

Percy looked back at the man, whose smirk was growing wider every second. The man pointed to the large glass bowl and said, "That is for a very special animal. One that hasn't been seen in years."

Percy couldn't take it anymore; he broke contact with the man and dived under the water. The words, _that is for a very special animal, _were ringing in his ears as the man's blue eyes seemed to inch their way into Percy's head.

"That's pretty interesting," Annabeth mused. "I mean, it sounds like the pirate ship I described, and the person that talked to you _does_ sound like Luke, but I don't know. The chances that you would see that ship are one in one hundred. Besides I don't think they carried animals on their ship."

Percy rolled his eyes, and flicked his tail. "Come on, Annabeth. Who else could it be? That man—Luke told me those were rare animals."

"Percy, I don't know." Annabeth shook her head and played with the sand on the beach. It was around evening almost two days after they last talked, and two days after Percy had an encounter with the ship. He was still pretty shaken up, but he managed to calm his nerves a bit.

Annabeth's grey eyes looked at Percy's stiff posture, he was staring out into sea and Annabeth could tell something was bothering him.

"He seemed so calm when he was talking," Percy continued. "It's like he knew what I was. All he did was smile, well, more like sneer. He talked about the animals like they were just objects, and I didn't like it."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at him in concentration. That wasn't the only thing bothering him, she could tell. "Percy, what's wrong?"

He cast a sideways glance at her, before burying his tail in the sand. "Nothing." He muttered quietly.

"Percy," Annabeth said sternly. She was surprised at her tone of voice, it almost sounded like her mother's when she knew something was wrong. He looked at her with those green eyes before the silence took over.

"When Luke was talking," Percy started to say quietly, and Annabeth had to stain her ears to hear him. "He pointed to a bowl, a giant glass bowl, almost three times my size. He told me it was for _a very special animal_ and I can't shake the feeling that it's meant for something that he shouldn't know exists."

"You think it's for the mer-people." Annabeth said, quickly catching on. Percy nodded much like Annabeth was doing two days ago, listening, but not comprehending.

"Percy," She put a hand on his shoulder, making butterflies go off in her stomach. "Just avoid them, okay? Make sure your dad knows. He can protect your family."

"I can't avoid them," Percy said, his voice was louder and more confident now. "Those animals need help. I can guarantee that a lot of them are from the sea. I can't just leave them."

"Percy," Annabeth tried desperately to get him to see her reason. "Please, don't go. If they caught you—I don't know what I'd do. Tell your dad, tell someone, let them do it, please."

Percy sighed and flicked all the sand off his tail. His eyes were like the sea right before a storm, calm yet deadly. Annabeth knew that she couldn't change his mind, but she had to try. She had to know that if anything happened to his, she'd at least tried to save him.

"Annabeth, I can't." He whispered. "I don't want to do it, but I can't leave them. Who knows what that bastard is doing to them?" Annabeth didn't even try to correct his language. Again, they were silent.

"Luke, he's already planned this," Annabeth realized, breaking the silence and making Percy jump in surprise. "I know—I mean, I knew Luke. He's got this already planned out. If you go you'll just fall into his trap. He may be dense but he's certainly not stupid."

"I can't just leave them." Percy tried to protest, but Annabeth interrupted him, "I know that. I know you can leave them because of your stupid fatal flaw, but I know that if you go you'll just fall into his trap and he's have you and all the animals." Percy gave Annabeth a hard look, before casting his eyes back towards the ocean.

"I'm sorry, Annabeth." Percy said, before he flipped his tail and launched himself in the water. Annabeth wanted to scream at him for being an idiot, but she couldn't move. Percy was stupid, but he wasn't that stupid.

Annabeth pulled her legs up to her chest; hugging them like she would do with a teddy bear. She was biting her lip to keep from crying, but she couldn't stop the tears, knowing that her best friend, and her crush was going to sacrifice his freedom and possibly his life, to save some sea creatures.

Annabeth was too busy crying to notice the two large men approach from behind. They were huge, and very muscular, but their faces were hidden by the darkness the surrounded them. One of them carried a potato sack, while the other carried a rope.

They snuck behind her at incredibly quietly for their large forms, and one of them wrapped his arms around Annabeth's waist to keep her from moving too much.

"Wha . . ? Hey!" Annabeth tried to struggle out of his grasp. "Hey! Let me go!"

The man that wasn't holding her quickly shoved the sack over her face to keep from her screaming louder than she already was. This, of course, only caused Annabeth to struggle more. She kept repeating in her head; _I can't give up. I can't let them take me._

She managed a good blow to the guy's stomach, and made him groan in pain, but he didn't loosen his grip on Annabeth's waist. Annabeth could imagine the guy's eyes glaring at her, but she didn't care, not now.

"Let me go," Annabeth snarled in such a deadly voice that it surprised her.

"Joe," The man that was holding her grunted, "She's giving us trouble."

The man that wasn't holding Annabeth down—Joe came lumbering towards her. Annabeth couldn't see much through the loose strings, but she could make out a few gold teeth in his crooked smile. Annabeth's stomach dropped, they were _pirates._

"Don't worry, miss." Joe said in a very low voice. "This won't hurt much."

That's when she felt the sharp pain in the back of her head and then everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey guys, I know this is not what you were expecting after weeks of radio silence, and I do come with bad news again, but I'm giving up my FanFiction career. I know, I know, just hear me out a second; I want to explain a couple of things.

First, my stories are going up for adoption EXCEPT for Daughter of Hera, The Age of the Heroes, Forever and Always and any one-shots I have. So that means… Freedom Has A Price, I Knew You Were Trouble, Going Their Own Way and Look Out Ladies, Here I Come! Four stories I hold dear, two I adopted. Alright, I'll send you pre-written chapters, along with my notes for the story unless I don't have any, and you must provide me with an email. I can't do all that over PM. I will be giving MCBL back to Aureus who'll still have it on their profile, so you can have a look there.  
The rest will remain up for anyone who decided to read them, and I WILL STILL READ AND COMMENT, OKAY? I'm too addicted to let it go now. As for collaborations and Beta-ing, I'm officially leaving all that.

Second, I decided I have to move on. I'm working on two books of mine, plus a couple of one-shots, which you are welcome to ask for the link of (I posted on Wattpad). They're free.

Please comment or PM I you'd like to adopt.

Thanks, and keep rocking guys! I love you all!

Final curtain fall,

Jay


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